Contact free reading of cartridge identification codes

• US 8,608,079 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2007
• Issued: 12/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Novo Nordisk A/S
• Original Assignee: Novo Nordisk A/S
• Inventors: Larsen, Andr
• Primary Examiner(s): STANFORD, CHRISTOPHER J
• Application Number:
  US12/293,251
• Publication Number:
  US 20090088701A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,464 Days
• Field of Search: 235/387, 235/492
• US Class Current: 235/492
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/6027 Electric-conductive bridges closing detection circuits, with or without identifying elements, e.g. resistances, zener-diodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/6072 Bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/24 Ampoule syringes, i.e. syringes with needle for use in combination with replaceable ampoules or carpules, e.g. automatic ampoules or carpules A61J1/06
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/3129 Syringe barrels A61M5/3205 and A61M5/50 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/067 Record carriers with conductive marks, printed circuits or semiconductor circuit elements, e.g. credit or identity cards also with resonating or responding marks without active components
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/081 electrostatic, e.g. by detecting the charge of capacitance between electrodes

Abstract

The present invention relates to a cartridge adapted to contain a medicament, the cartridge further being adapted to be inserted into an associated medication delivery device. The cartridge according to the present invention comprises a plurality of electrode elements arranged on an exterior surface part of the cartridge, wherein an electrode element of said plurality of electrode elements comprises a receiver zone and a transmitter zone, said receiver and transmitter zones being electrically connected. The receiver and transmitter zones are adapted to electrically couple to one or more transmitters and to one or more receivers, respectively, said one or more transmitters and said one or more receivers being arranged on the associated medication delivery device.

Claims

1. A cartridge adapted to contain a medicament, the cartridge further being adapted to be inserted into an associated medication delivery device, the cartridge having an identification code which is identifiable by the medication delivery device, the identification code comprising:

a plurality of galvanically separated electrode elements arranged on an exterior surface part of the cartridge, the plurality of electrode elements being distributed equidistantly substantially circumferentially,

wherein each of the electrode elements comprises a receiver zone which connects galvanically to a transmitter zone such that the receiver zone is adapted to receive electrical input signals, and the transmitter zone is adapted to transmit associated electrical output signals, and wherein the receiver zone of each electrode element is displaced along a first direction relatively to its respective transmitter zone, a magnitude of displacement between the transmitter zone and the receiver zone being representative of the identification code.

2. A cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the cartridge comprises a rear end and a front end, the front end comprising an arrangement for securing an injection needle to the cartridge.

3. A cartridge according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of electrode elements are arranged near the rear end of the cartridge.

4. A cartridge according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of electrode elements form an essentially periodic pattern, the direction of periodicity being substantially perpendicular to an axial direction of the cartridge.

5. A cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of electrode elements are made of an optically transparent material.

6. A cartridge according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of electrode elements form an essentially periodic pattern, the direction of periodicity being substantially parallel to an axial direction of the cartridge.

7. A cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of electrode elements are arranged on a flexible foil, said foil being secured to the exterior surface part of the cartridge using an adhesive between the foil and the exterior surface part.

8. A cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of electrode elements are at least partly covered by a layer of dielectric material.

9. A cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the cartridge has a body and wherein the electrode elements extend partly or all the way around the cartridge body.

10. A cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the medicament cartridge is a flexible reservoir which comprises one or more collapsible sidewall portions, said one or more collapsible sidewall portions being adapted to collapse during emptying of the cartridge.

11. A medication delivery device comprising:

a housing adapted to house a cartridge having an identification code, the cartridge adapted to contain a medicament,

the medicating delivery device adapted to identify the identification code of the cartridge when said cartridge is inserted therein,

a plurality of device transmitters arranged to capacitively couple to respective receiver zones of a group of electrode elements of the cartridge when inserted into a medication delivery device, the electrode elements of the cartridge distributed equidistantly substantially circumferentially on an exterior surface part of the cartridge,

a plurality of device receivers arranged to capacitively couple to respective transmitter zones of said group of electrode elements, and

wherein the medication delivery device is adapted to provide a plurality of mutually phase shifted electrical input signals to the respective device transmitters, to receive respective output signals at the plurality of device receivers, and to measure a magnitude of displacement based upon a phase change between the output signals relative to the input signals to thereby determine the identification code of the cartridge.

12. A medication delivery device according to claim 11, wherein four electrical input signals are applied to respective ones of four device transmitters.

13. A medication delivery device according to claim 12, wherein the four electrical input signals are approximately 90 degrees out of phase so as to form a quadrature electrical input signal.

14. A medication delivery device according to claim 11, wherein the electrical input signals oscillate with a frequency within the range 50 kHz-150 kHz.

15. A flexible foil adapted to be arranged on an exterior surface part of a cartridge adapted to contain a medicament, the cartridge adapted to be inserted into an associated medical delivery device, the flexible foil having an identification code which is identifiable by the medication delivery device, the identification code comprising:

a plurality of galvanically separated electrode elements, the plurality of electrode elements being distributed equidistantly substantially circumferentially along a first direction,

wherein each of the electrode elements comprises a receiver zone which connects galvanically to a transmitter zone such that the receiver zone is adapted to receive electrical input signals, and the transmitter zone is adapted to transmit associated electrical output signals,

said receiver zone and each electrode element is displaced along a first direction relatively to its respective transmitter zone, a magnitude of displacement between the transmitter zone and the receiver zone being representative of the identification code.